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Fentanyl user faces sentencing for six criminal cases

by JEFF SMITH, For the Leader
| January 30, 2025 12:00 AM

A Ronan man entered into a plea agreement that could resolve six criminal cases against him. Kurtis William Snell, 34, entered guilty pleas in District Court in Polson Jan. 22 to felony charges of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, criminal possession with intent to distribute, criminal endangerment and escape.

The plea was entered as part of an agreement that could dismiss two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs at sentencing. The plea calls for a joint recommendation of a total of 13 years in the Montana State Prison, with all but five years and time served suspended. The judge is not bound by the agreement.

According to court records, Snell was arrested by law enforcement in Ronan on Oct 8, 2023, on outstanding warrants from Lake County, Mineral County and Kalispell. He was allegedly in possession of fentanyl.

He was picked up on warrants two other times, and each time was allegedly in possession of fentanyl or in possession of paraphernalia that contained fentanyl residue.

In one instance, Snell was observed driving a 2009 Nissan Xterra with a severely shattered window on Sept. 11, 2024, by a trooper with the Montana Highway Patrol. He took off and the trooper lost sight of him.

He was located in a tree later, next to where the Nissan was parked near Canal Road. After an investigation, Snell admitted that he had traveled to Spokane, where he received 90 fentanyl pills and traded 10 of the pills in exchange for a ride.

Prior to that, he was observed by an off-duty law enforcement officer leaving the Walmart parking lot in Polson on Aug. 10, 2024. This led to a pursuit by other officers that reached speeds up to 115 miles per hour.

He headed south on U. S. Highway 93 before he turned onto a dirt road south of Polson. Law enforcement lost him in a cloud of dust, but he was identified by his pursuers and eventually detained.

Most recently, on Nov. 13, 2024, while in custody, he was escorted to a hospital in Polson where he escaped and ran about a block west of the hospital before he was apprehended once again.

Judge Molly Owen set a sentencing date of March 12. He remains in custody at the Lake County Jail.